Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Acts 13:13-25
John 13:16-20

Reflection:

Called to Witness Love Incarnate

It’s the 4^th week of Easter –and the Good News of Jesus Risen continues to spark new Life and Vitality in us and our world.  Celebrating Easter brings with it a renewed sense of God’s life-giving, loving presence — and Jesus’ encouragement to follow His example in witnessing Love through the service of our sisters and brothers.

Today’s Gospel selection from John 13 recounts Jesus’ Last Supper experience of encouraging his disciples, having just washed their feet.  He invites them to follow His example, to believe in Him and share that belief with others in both word and deed.  No doubt, a challenge – but also a gift, as Jesus states: “…Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”  Later verses in John’s Gospel paint a scenario that includes both the disciples’ heartfelt witness AND weak betrayal.

The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles reveals the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in the disciples’ lives.  Paul and his companions arrived in Antioch and were invited to speak in the synagogue.  Paul shared a heartfelt sermon on the history of salvation, culminating in the person of Jesus:   his life, death, and resurrection.  His preaching touched many hearts…and the number of believers continued to grow, as did his own call to missionary discipleship.

Thus, our challenge:  how has Jesus’ Easter event touched and changed our lives?  Do we join Jesus in washing feet – mending the “fences” of distrust and division, and thus reaching out to needy hearts with a good dose of a disciple’s love?  Perhaps we need a disciple’s healthy dose of “Spirit” this Pentecost…  Our world struggles to find meaning and hope, to experience love rather than violence and bloodshed.  Perhaps a few hours of unhindered quiet and mindful prayerfulness can rekindle in us the dynamism of Easter and the Risen Jesus…  No doubt, as transformed Easter people we can “sing of the goodness of the Lord” (Psalm 89)…even with voices perhaps a bit off-key.

Our call to witness the risen Jesus and God’s loving kindness is truly amazing!  Alleluia!!

Fr. John Schork, C.P. serves as the Province Vocation Director and also as Local Superior of the Passionist Community of Holy Name in Houston, Texas.  

Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle

Scripture:

Acts 1:15-17, 20-26
John 15:9-17

Reflection:

Today is the feast of Saint Matthias, the disciple who replaced Judas and filled the place of the 12th apostle. We know little about him beyond reading in Acts that he was voted in and ultimately chosen by lots.

Let’s imagine what was going through his mind and what are some of the things he might have done.

Indeed, he would’ve wanted to be the opposite of Judas, promoting honesty and loyalty.

He might’ve become a peacemaker among the apostles when there were disagreements.

As a fellow evangelist, he may have wanted to visit regions that others wouldn’t.

Maybe he was so moved by the words and actions of Jesus that he would want to help people meet the needs of the struggling, suffering, and disenfranchised.

He could’ve been a teacher and mentor for new converts. Because he had the new status of an actual apostle, he might have enjoyed requests to share personal testimonies about his experiences with Jesus and the thousands of other disciples who gathered around him.

A new Pope is taking on the throne of Saint Peter. Any new pope must feel like Saint Matthias for quite a while until he gets his bearings. Let us pray for gifts from the Holy Spirit to shower on him and, while we’re at it, on ourselves since we must choose how to be better disciples every day.

.Jack Dermody is President of Share Our Gifts, Inc., a Passionist alumni organization dedicated to assisting those who live in poverty; he is also editor of CrossRoads, the Passionist Alumni Association’s newsletter.

Scripture:

Acts 11:19-26
John 10:22-30

Reflection:

One of my favorite things about the Easter season is that we are treated daily to reading from the Acts of the Apostles. The rich history of Christianity’s early beginnings, the ups and downs, the challenges and the triumphs are all proclaimed as one seamless story whose common thread is the presence of the “hand of the Lord was with them” (v.21) and the people “full of the Spirit and of faith” (v.24). We see this especially in today’s reading which highlight the scattering out from Jerusalem into the Mediterranean—Greek speaking—world of the early Christians escaping the “affliction” (or persecution) following the martyrdom of Stephen. With the original intention to preach only to the Jews, we read about the good news proclaimed also to the Greeks.

In reading between the lines, one can intuit the spread of God’s word didn’t move exactly as they had planned. As believers, we know that no one can predict the movement of the Spirit, especially in the presence of openness of mind and heart. Our God of surprises, who ignites a flame of faith wherever it falls, makes this possible. We can all be grateful and celebrate the wisdom of the early Christian communities who, guided by the Spirit, wrestled with this notion of inclusion of the “Greeks”—a term applied to anyone outside the Jewish world. Today, that means us!

The text tells of a “considerable number of believers (who) turned to the Lord” (21b) and is juxtaposed against the Gospel where Jesus is challenged by unbelieving “Jews,” and has his good works called into question. Again, Jesus states that true believers hear his voice and are known by him. As believers, we follow and belong to him.

Another thing I love about this time of year is the considerable number of (young) believers preparing to receive their First Holy Communion. Last Saturday, our granddaughter was one of those excited children. She and her classmates were all smiles as they lined up to process into the Church. Their special day had finally arrived, and joy reigned supreme as the liturgy began. I offered a silent prayer of thanksgiving to those early Christians who, through the guidance of the Spirit, had brought us to this moment.

When the time came for Holy Communion, as Eucharistic Ministers, my husband and I were privileged to watch each child come up one-by-one to receive Jesus in the Eucharist from our pastor. The moment felt very sacred and personal, a new beginning in their young lives. Jesus’ words from today’s Gospel came to mind, “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of my Father’s hands” (v29), and I prayed that these precious children would always be safe in the hands of the Father.

Jesus’ radical words, that almost had him stoned (in v.31 that follows today’s text), as he restates, “The Father and I are one” (v.30). Can we believe that we are swept up mystically in this unity! May we never doubt that we belong to the Good Shepherd. Amen. Alleluia!

Jean Bowler is a member of the Ministry Team at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Acts 11:1-18
John 10:1-10

Reflection:

“But a second time a voice from heaven answered, ‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’ This happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into the sky”

Every time I read this passage from the Acts of the Apostles, I am reminded of a series of annual performance appraisals that I had during my career at a large industrial manufacturing company.  I had worked for a fellow who was conducting the reviews for many years.  Suddenly, one year after giving me good feedback on almost every aspect of the past year’s performance, he paused and added a comment that caught me completely off guard.  He told me, “You do not listen very well.”  I was stunned.  With thirty years of career experience and as many annual performance reviews, no one had ever told me that I was not a good listener.  I was bewildered, confused and actually a bit frustrated in trying to figure out what that meant.  We chatted about the issue on and off for a while as I tried to figure it out.  But as in today’s first reading, the same comment was made in three successive review periods. 

Over the years after my retirement from the same corporation, when reflecting back on my career, I only remember bits and pieces of the many appraisals that I had.  However, the statement that was made about my listening deficiency resonated with me continuously and I am convinced that it changed my life. 

Yesterday was Good Shepherd Sunday.  In today’s gospel with the same theme Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep and calls them by name.  The sheep follow him because they recognize his voice.  “The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.”

Now in the twilight of my years, I question myself about how well I am listening to God’s voice.  Those performance appraisals so many years ago resonate with me every day.  How do I hear God’s voice speaking to me?  Do I hear him in my prayer life?  Do I hear him through family and friends who converse about their own daily joys and struggles?  Do I hear him through the poor and the homeless and the needy and the migrants?  Do I hear him through the awareness of those caught up in human trafficking?  Do I hear him through our Passionist family?  Do I hear him in our daily scripture readings?  Do I hear him through the miracles that he works in our lives every day.  Do I hear him with a wandering mind when I am falling asleep at night?  Do I follow the shepherd’s voice as an obedient sheep even if it brings me to the foot of the cross through my own daily struggles?  Am I really listening?

I wonder if Jesus sat with me today for my annual review, would he still tell me that, “You do not listen very well”?  Dear Lord, as my Good Shepherd, I recognize your voice and that you give me innumerable opportunities to listen to it.  Please help me always to be a good listener.

May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts!

Bill Berger has had a lifelong relationship with the Passionist Family.  Bill and his wife, Linda, are currently leaders of the Community of Passionist Partners (CPPs) in Houston, Texas.

Good Shepherd Sunday

Scripture:

Acts 13:14, 43-52
Revelation 7:9, 14b-17
John 10:27-30

Reflection:

“Habemus papam!” The Cardinal Deacon proclaimed to the world on May 8, 2025.

About an hour later, the new pope, Leo XIV, stepped out onto the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, looking out to the throng gathered at St. Peter’s Square. The first American pope.

On this day, Good Shepherd Sunday, perhaps it might be just as appropriate to declare: “Habemus pastorem,” We have a shepherd. On this day, we hear Jesus share the beautiful parable of the Good Shepherd with its many consoling truths and promise for all God’s children.

“I am the good shepherd,” Jesus said. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Pope Francis reflected on this passage with these words: “Being a shepherd is not merely a job, but a true and proper way of life, 24 hours a day. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does not just do something for us, but he gives his life for us.

From his balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV saw not only the cheering crowd gathered below, he also saw an ancient imposing monument in the middle of the square — the Obelisk. This Obelisk originally stood in Nero’s Circus. Many Christians were executed in this circus. Christian tradition holds that the Obelisk was the last thing Peter saw before he died crucified upside down.

At every age of the Church, the figure of the pope stands as the spiritual father, a visible source of unity, and the shepherd appointed by Christ to guide his flock. The Obelisk stands before the pope as a mute reminder that like Peter, he too must lay down his life for the flock.

In our time, Pope Leo XIV, the vicar of Christ and successor to Peter, is our Good Shepherd.

Habemus pastorem.

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Acts 9:31-42
John 6:60-69

Reflection:

Recently, my son Carl and I got into a late-night conversation about faith. Several years ago, their parish priest was charged with abusing boys. Carl had the horrific task of asking their 7-year-old son whether he was a victim. He wasn’t, but others were. Carl was so incensed over the cover-ups facilitating this behavior that he swore off Catholicism. Then, seeing rampant hypocrisy in religions that exclude people, shun the poor, tolerate and even facilitate injustice, yet proclaim they do it in the name of God, he swore off all organized religion. In fact, he now wonders whether God even exists.

I shared that, for me, God is not a set of doctrines or dogmas, but a real lived experience of presence, for me personally, but also permeating creation. I know with all my being that God not only exists but is here with me and for me, the source of my life, the font of love, and the sustaining power of all that is. Could I believe otherwise? No. Like the disciples, my heart says, “Lord, to whom would I go?”

Carl couldn’t comprehend my certainty without concrete, tangible proof he could touch or see, asserting that believing in something you can’t prove is worthless because anybody could invent any belief they want. He perceives institutional religions doing just that, deciding who and what God is, then controlling adherents by requiring them to believe their version. He wanted proof that my experience of God is not a figment of my imagination, and he doesn’t care that the same experience has been described from the time of antiquity. It could all be dust in the wind.   

I hear this same attitude among so many younger people.  Like Carl, they’re sincerely searching, and something deep within them wants to believe, to know, to connect with something greater and deeper than themselves. But their trust has been shaken, and surrender to God becomes a very risky proposition. (Actually, surrender to God is indeed a vulnerable and risky proposition; it could even lead to the Cross. But that’s another column!)

Our conversation that night ended without resolution for now. We’ll revisit it, and in the meantime, I pray that God use and expand the opening cracks in Carl’s shielded heart, and those in the many others desperate for the Good News. Perhaps part of our mandate this Easter season is to facilitate that crack-opening. I know I can’t make Carl, or anyone believe, even by my best explanations. All I can do is be a continuous witness, faithful source of encouragement, and facilitator of God’s loving power and grace. Then I trust the rest to the Spirit, who works on a divine timeline, not my own.

There are so many hungry hearts in our world. May our prayers, our words, and the example of our lives help God to feed them.

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website: http://www.corgenius.com/.

Scripture:

Acts 9:1-20
John 6:52-59

Reflection:

Daring to Enter the Conversation

As Jesus concludes speaking of Himself as the Bread of Life, John notes that Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

In Houston, Texas, the Rothko Chapel – dimly lit and quiet, with paintings by Rothko on the walls – is an inviting space where you can be enfolded in silence for reflection and prayer.

At the University of Texas at Austin, a building that offers space, explicitly described as not a chapel or religious space by artist Ellsworth Kelly, fills with color as the sun comes in through stained glass windows during the day and glows at night from within. It is a joyful place where mystery can be encountered in light.

A final and fourth space is spoken of by Edith Stein, St. Benedicta of the Cross, who would die in the Auschwitz concentration camp with her sister Rosa and many others of ‘her people’. She says that, of her own volition, as a young Jewish woman, she stopped praying. She brilliantly moved through school, served in a field hospital during WWI and graduated summa cum laude with her doctorate in 1917. During that time, she went to Frankfurt Cathedral and saw a woman with a shopping basket go in and kneel for a brief prayer. “This was something entirely new to me. In the synagogue and Protestant churches I had visited, people simply went to services. Here, however, I saw someone coming straight from the marketplace into this empty church, as if she was going to have an intimate conversation. It was something I never forgot.”

Edith would become a Catholic and a Carmelite religious. How such a simple act of faith and prayer by a woman, stopping by a church to pray, so profoundly influenced her. It is something she never forgot!

Today, Jesus speaks to Saul of Tarsus. What a surprising gift that changes his life for the better. Unimaginable. In the spaces of a synagogue, a chapel and a simply sacred space, God speaks to the hearts of people who seek, and knock and ask.

But Edith was sensitive to a woman whose prayer was an ‘intimate conversation’. In that church the Eucharist was celebrated, reserved in reverence and for the ministry to the sick. It was a place of meeting with Jesus the Bread of life, the one who promises us that we will not go hungry or thirsty.

The Holy Spirit is at work guiding the Church along its path following Christ; taking our offering of bread and wine along with ourselves to the Father, giving us the Body and Blood of Jesus as our spiritual food; and yesterday blessing and surprising us with our new Pope, Leo XIV. No space is so empty that our God cannot fill it, or our hearts with the surprise of overflowing love. Not all continued to walk with Jesus; they found his words hard. Let us listen to the one who is here to share himself with us. Let us notice those in empty places. God is there. But especially may we see those who come into the church on shopping day for a brief visit. Like them let us enter the conversation.

Fr. William Murphy, CP, is a member of Immaculate Conception Community in Jamaica, New York.

Scripture:

Acts 8:26-40
John 6:44-51

Reflection:

It is one of those amazing Spring mornings when the sunlight glistening off the dew on the grass and the budding tree branches waving in the warm morning breeze that swells the heart and makes us want to cry out with joy for our creation.  “Let all the earth cry out to God with Joy”.  Psalm 66

1970.  Second week of boot camp. We were given a brief break in our intense training schedule to attend Sunday mass at the base chapel.   I sat in the pew glancing around at two hundred or so recruits, all of us in our newly buzzed haircuts and still new uniforms, looking like identical green pickle men.  Father Lieutenant Colonel Somebody finished reading the gospel and began his sermon with words that stuck with me all these years:  

 “‘There are no atheists in foxholes,’ so, I presume that’s why most of you are here.”   It was funny but so very true. Circumstances, either by choice or the draft, had driven us to seek the comfort of our faith in God’s love.   Jesus speaks about our being drawn by God to a belief in Him.  It is through God’s influences that we are able to grasp Truth, which is God.  

These influences can be as subtle as quiet moments of contemplation of the night sky, realizing that there must be something greater than ourselves; an uncreated Creator.  Or an influence might be a circumstance that beats us completely down, like the death of a loved one, a sudden serious illness, or perhaps just the accumulated challenges of daily life.  In these moments of reflection or dark times of pain and sorrow, we are drawn by God to instinctively seek to understand His plan and our place in it,  

Jesus tells us that no one can approach God the Father except through Him.  But we are drawn by God to seek our Redeemer.  Pride can make us believe not only that we don’t need God, but even cause doubt as to His existence.  Mankind has become so sophisticated and knowledgeable that we no longer need the “crutch” of religion, faith, or God.  

Despite the vain blindness caused by Intellectualism which shrouds from us our true place in Existence, we are drawn to Truth through all our circumstances called Life.  The longing to know and be reunited with our Creator is part of who we are as a species created in His image and likeness.   We humbly seek our Redeemer and through Him come to know Truth, which is God. 

Ray Alonzo is the father of three children, grandfather of two, and husband to Jan for over 45 years. He is a USN Vietnam Veteran, and a 1969 graduate of Mother of Good Counsel Passionist Prep Seminary. Ray currently serves on the Passionist Alumni Council.